Changes
by Dr. Huff-Puff
Summary: Loki is banished to earth and stripped off his powers. He shares an apartment with a human who seems to have a tight grip on him when it comes to going to events related to her job. Setting the rating to T for language for the time being. May or may not turn into M.
1. Chapter 1

**It's been a while since I've written anything. Writer's block added to life being busy. But I've been recently into reading fanfictions again, and somehow that inspired me to go back to writing. I don't know where I'm going with this, since it's still in the making, but I thought I'd put the first chapter out there. I don't have a title yet, so it will remain as Untitled until I figure something out that would match the story.**

**I'd like to note that I am only aware of the Avengers through the movie(s). I have never read the comics, as they do not exist where I come from.**

**DISCLAIMER: The Avengers belong to their respective owners, no copyright infringement is intended. I only own the original characters of this story, who are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**

**Reviews are always appreciated :)**

**-Chapter one-**

Blue shirt and white jeans. Not his favorite combination, never was, and probably never will be. But he had to wear them because of the cocktail party they were going to, and there was a dress code. More like a color code, according to the woman who called herself his roommate.

Sighing, Loki put on blue suede shoes -to match his shirt- and had a last look at himself in the mirror as he picked up his watch and put it around his wrist.

"You look handsome." His roommate walked into his bedroom, wearing a cocktail dress the same shade of blue as Loki's shirt.

"I feel like a clown." He replied, grabbing his wallet and car keys. "But I'm ready. Let's go. I'm feeling tired already and want to come back home as soon as possible."

"Oh come on, don't be so bitter. You'll like it there." She smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm ready, too. Let's go."

With that, they got out their apartment and headed towards the basement garage where Loki had his car parked.

"I'd really appreciate it if you could take that frown off your face while we're there." She said as they walked out of the elevator.

"Can't promise anything, _Elthia_." He emphasized her name, fully aware how she felt about it.

"Please don't call me that!" She cringed. She hated her name. It sounded as if her parents held a grudge on her even before she was born, and gave her that name as a life-long curse. Though she realized that Loki used her whole name only when he was either teasing her, or extremely irritated. And right now, he looked pretty irritated. But she was going to have none of it. He wasn't going to ruin the party for her. It was an important event for one of her colleagues and best friend, and she wasn't going to put up with Loki's mood swings. He was quite nice when he woke up in the morning. She had no clue what got into him after breakfast.

Loki hated Midgardian socializing events. He had always thought low of humans -despite the fact that he was living with one, after being banished to Earth and stripped off his powers- and he tried to stay away from them for as much as he can. At which, so far, he was failing miserably. As if his life couldn't get any worse, he had to learn the ways of the humans, to be one of them.

Elthia knew who he was. He had told her once about his past, and the subject was never brought up again. Mainly because he rarely saw her due to her job at a hospital. She didn't even hold a grudge against him, despite the fact that he damaged half of her city while trying to concur the world. Which she found to be weird, but she had little to no time to dwell on that due to her busy work schedule as a surgeon.

"I'll call you whatever I want. Especially if I have to accompany you to such boring events." He said, opening the door to his car and getting in, not even bothering to be a gentleman and open the passenger's door for his roommate.

"You can be such a prick sometimes. Seriously." She mumbled, getting into the car and putting on the seat belt.

The drive was shorter than expected, simply because Loki had learned the streets of New York and was able to find short cuts to avoid traffic jams. Once they arrived, he dropped Elthia at the entrance and went to park his car at a designated area, and then he came back so they'd walk in together.

"So remind me again, what is this about?" He asked as they walked in.

Rolling her eyes, Elthia replied, "my best friend had gotten a promotion, and the department is throwing a party for her."

"Promoted from what?" he asked, more out of simple curiosity than care.

"From being a nurse. Now she's the Head Nurse of our department." She smiled, feeling quite proud of how far her friend had come.

Nodding, Loki acknowledged her reply, but seeing as it was not of interest to him, he simply let the subject drop.

"Elly!" Came the happy shout of a woman, whom Loki recognized to be his roommate's recently promoted friend. He had seen her a couple of times at their apartment, but have never actually spoken to her. Retreating to his room whenever Elly had visitors, to keep himself as far as possible from socializing. Though much to his dismay, trying to get out of going to such events with Elly never worked. Somehow, she always had the final say in things. The only time she didn't insist, or argue, was when he went into his bedroom and locked the door.

As the women hugged and exchanged greetings, Loki turned to look around. The place looked full with happy faces. He wondered for a moment whether those laughters and smiles we genuine. If they were really as happy as they appeared to be talking to each other.

"You remember my roommate, Loki." Elly said, which made Loki turn to face the women as he heard his name.

"Of course I do, even though we barely met whenever I came over." Her friend replied, smiling politely and extending a hand, "nice to see again, Loki."

Loki stared at her hand for a moment, cursing himself for being here, but nevertheless, he took the offered hand and smiled. "Nice to see you too, miss Rebecca."

"Oh please call me Becky." she said.

"Alright, Becky." He replied and let go of her hand. If he was going to be here the whole time Elly was, then he thought he'd better behave. He was in no mood to argue with her like the last time they went to an event together. The women of Midgard were.. complicated at times. "Would you ladies care for a drink?" he asked, earning a surprised look from Elly, who didn't expect such a quick change of mood.

"Why yes, we are here for the free food and drinks after all." Elly turned to Becky, winking at her with a big smile on her face.

"If Martin decides to deduct today's costs from my paycheck, he's going to regret giving me that promotion." Becky grinned.

Not really knowing, nor caring who Martin was, Loki nodded at the two women and excused himself to go and get them some refreshments. As soon as he was at the bar, he sighed and motioned for the bartender to approach him, and ordered sparkling water for himself, and fruit cocktails for the ladies. He never bothered to learn what the etiquette for such gatherings were. What drinks do they start with and what follows. He simply assumed starting with a non-alcoholic drink would be his safest option. He didn't particularly feel like dragging a drunk Elly all the way back to their apartment. Not that he had ever seen her drunk. Tipsy, yes. Drunk, well he still needs to see that one happening. Elly was always conscious about the amount of alcohol she consumed, and he was thankful for that. He had seen humans turn into ridiculous clowns after having too much to drink, and he didn't care to have one of those within his apartment.

The bartender handed him the drinks on a small tray, and Loki picked it up, not forgetting to politely nod his thanks to the man. He kept reminding himself that he longed for a peaceful evening when they went back home, and behaving like himself wouldn't be an option for now. He needed to act the way Elly saw good. Especially since the place was full of people she worked with.

Holding the tray with both hands, he was careful not to bump into anyone who happened to be in the way. The last thing he needed was to spill the drinks over himself. White pants, seriously, who would be wearing white pants to a place with so many people and so many chances of someone spilling something on you? Making a mental note on telling Elly about making a rule concerning his clothing for any upcoming events she would be dragging him to (as a compensation for actually agreeing to go with her), he continued making his way to the two women until he came to a sudden halt in front of a familiar face. A face that he did not wish to ever see again. But there he was, dressed in a white shirt and creamy pants, a creamy sweater hanging over his shoulders was none other than Agent Clint Barton.

"What the hell?" Clint said, staring in shock at the person before him.

"We meet again, Agent Barton." Loki said, giving the other man a menacing smile. As much as he didn't want to see any of the Avengers ever again, his mischievous instincts kicked in. Oh this was going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you FortunesArkHero for the review! Thanks Amberleaf le Haunt, LerDan, TwilightAnimeLover21, and asnanime for following the story. And thanks to those who read it, but didn't find it necessary to leave a review ;)**  
**As you can see, I have chosen a title for the story (better late than never? :D), since I have a certain plot that I want to use for this story. So here's the second chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are always welcome :)**

**-Chapter two**

Did she mention he'll like it there? Why yes she did. And upon greeting Agent Barton, he knew this is going to be an evening to remember.

"Didn't think you're one for light colors, Barton." Loki smirked, addressing Clint's choice of color for clothing.

"How the hell did you get back? And more importantly, when?" Clint asked, ignoring the comment about his clothes and staring daggers at Loki. He wasn't aware of what happened after Thor took Loki back to Asgard. None of the Avengers knew, or cared, actually, as long as he was away. "You plotting something again?" He took a step closer and whispered, "Because I will make it my personal mission to kill you this time. Even Thor won't be able to stop me."

"I see you're still dwelling on the past." Loki gave Clint what seemed to be considered a sympathetic look. "That's unhealthy." And with that, he made his way towards Elly and Becky, who had seen him talking to Clint and were making their way to him.

"I thought you're getting us drinks, not stopping for a chat." Elly said, picking up her drink from the tray Loki was holding. "Didn't think you're the social kind. I think I'm rubbing off on you." She grinned, holding her glass up to salute him before she took a sip.

Becky took her drink from Loki, thanking him and smiling. "That makes two of them." She added, nudging Elly and nodding her head towards Clint, who joined them. "Well, look who made it to my party!" She gave him a hug.

"Hey Becks." Clint said, hugging her back. "Congrats on your promotion."

Loki rolled his eyes as he realized these two must know each other. He knew he needed to behave while Elly was around, but this was too damn tempting to not let go.

"Thanks, dear." She then turned to the other two, her arm around Clint's waist. "Hey guys, this is Clint, my cousin."

"Really." Loki smirked.

"Nice to meet you, Clint. I'm Elly." Elly shook Clint's hand and then stared at Loki, who had this look on his face that resembled a prankster. What was his problem now?

"You two know each other?" Becky asked, looking from Clint to Loki and back. The two didn't seem too fond of each other, but it was only showing on Clint's face. Loki was actually smiling.

"You can say that, yeah." Clint replied. "I wouldn't call it 'knowing' each other, though."

"We've met before." Loki said, sipping his drink. Becky didn't know of his past, but Elly did. She didn't remember much details, other than Loki wanting to claim Earth and rule over it.. or something of the sort. She didn't remember the details, since she's always been preoccupied with her work and it's been over a year since Loki had spoken about his past, about how he ended up on Earth. She was secretive, though. She liked him, he was neat and polite, always remembered to put the toilet seat down and even close the lid (which she considered a major plus). He didn't have any contacts or friends who would come over and get drunk every weekend like most single men would do, neither did he have a girlfriend (or a boyfriend, for that matter) so there was no sex noises coming from his bedroom in the middle of the night. In fact, she was the only 'friend' Loki had. If a room mate whom you have to drag to boring events (after bribing and sometimes even threatening) could ever be considered a friend. Either way, he was a superb room mate.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Clint asked. Becky raised an eyebrow at the tone that held some hostility to it.

"Accompanying my, as your people would call it, date, to your cousin's celebratory event. What else would one be doing here?"

"You have no right to be here. Leave." Clint said, moving away from Becky and stepping towards Loki, who remained motionless.

"And who do y-

"Whoa, hold on a second." Elly stepped in, cutting Loki off. This was about to get out of hand, and she didn't want them to make a scene. "What are you two on about? What's this attitude against each other?" She looked at both men and knew she had to say something. Knowing, or rather, guessing that the two had some shared history that involved Loki's past, she had a feeling they would definitely start something. It was in their eyes. Whenever men had some sort of grudge against each other, it turned into a kindergarten, and she wanted none of that. "If either of you makes a scene, ruining Becky's night, I'm going to make sure both of you watch as I take out your intestines and plant it in the other's body." She threatened; feeling like an idiot after the words escaped her mouth. She was a respected surgeon who was always composed (except when she was in her own apartment and could be herself) around people. But she kept a serious look on her face, letting the two men know that she was being serious.

That was enough for Loki to back away. He'd learned about her work, and knowing that she was good at it, and he lacked any magic to get himself out of being butchered. He knew that if Elly put her mind to it, she'd do it without a second thought. No wonder she was the only one he felt comfortable enough to share a living space with. With that in his mind, he decided to keep the mischief away for the time being. Or at least, away from Elly's sight. If only he had his magic. He could have done this his way and no one would've been able to stop him.

"Clint, come. I want you to meet someone." Becky said, pulling Clint away with her, who didn't seem to protest. But he did turn to Loki, giving him a warning look as he walked away.

Elly looked after the two, sighed, and then turned to Loki, who was casually sipping his water though his eyes followed after Clint and Becky.

"What was that all about?" Elly was close to stomp on Loki's foot for the way he behaved earlier, but she thought better of it.

"I'm not quite fond of the guy." Loki shrugged. "And I'm bored."

"You're bored, so you start picking on people? We just got here, Mister. And Heaven forbid I see you do that again. Even if it concerns some grudges from your past." She said, before turning around and going to join some of her colleagues. She felt embarrassed, and hoped that Becky won't have hard feelings about what just happened. Clint was her cousin after all.

Raising an eyebrow, Loki wondered what he did to get such a reaction from Elly. She was smart and was able to figure that they knew each other from the time when he invaded Earth, but she didn't seem to personally know Barton, but something had obviously upset her. He didn't even get the chance to do anything that would upset anyone, actually. Well, Barton did seem pretty worked up just by seeing him here. But he didn't count. Sighing, he went to sit at one of the tables in the far end of the hall, sipping his water as if it was some sort of alcohol that you needed to savor the taste.

Being left a few minutes to his own, Loki started thinking about what just happened. Somehow, he couldn't understand Elly's reaction. Was he not supposed to act the way he did in front of other people? That was it! His momentarily acquired sense of mischief clouded his composed behavior, and one needed to behave according to the environment they were in. He had heard Elly tell him how to behave during these kind of events when they first started attending those together. _"Just look at the others, and do as they do. It may not be to your 'royal' standards, but since you need to learn the ways of humans, you kinda need to do it. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."_ She had said at the time. And being publicly hostile was definitely something she would never do. Even if the occasion called for it.

His human friend had some influence on him. "_How low you have sunk, Loki."_ He thought to himself.

As they walked away from Loki and Elly, Becky took her cousin to the other side of the room and they sat down at one of the tables. She didn't understand what just happened there, and how her cousin knew of Loki, since she's never heard him mention the man ever before. So she had a few questions, and she hoped she'd get some answers.

"You ok, Clint?" She asked as they sat down.

"Yeah, well, not really. Not with that guy in this room." He replied, scanning the room to see if he could spot Loki again. He felt the need to keep an eye on him, just in case he decided to do something fishy. "So who is it you wanted me to meet?"

"No one, I just needed to get you away from there." Becky replied, and Clint rolled his eyes at her. "How do you know him? And why do I have the feeling that you two hate each other?"

"I know him through my job." Clint replied. He knew he wasn't supposed to give details, and no one in his family knew what he did exactly. They were only aware of the fact that he needed to travel a lot, but he never mentioned what for, or what kind of a job did he do. And as he only received a questioning look from Becky, he shrugged and added, "Let's just say my company had a case against him and his company."

"That kind of explains things. But it looked as if you two had something personal against each other." Becky noted, sipping her drink and leaning back on her chair. She never understood why Clint was so secretive about his job and this 'company' he was working for.

Clint sighed. He had forgotten how inquiring his family members can be at times. "He put his nose into my work. And please don't ask about him anymore. I don't like talking about him and I don't want to ruin the mood of your party." Though the mood was definitely ruined, at least for him, but he tried not to show it. But he was starting to worry. Loki now knew he had a cousin, and he feared for her, in case Loki decides to compromise her. Should that happen, Clint would never forgive him, and would make sure he'd endure the worst of pain before he took his life. His family always came first for him.

"Oh you're not ruining anything." Becky grinned. "You never tell us what you do, and I was curious. You know me," she winked, leaning forward, "curious kitty."

"Of course you are," he finally smiled. "It's really nice to see you again." He reached a hand over the table and grabbed hers, giving it a squeeze.

"It's been what, a year?" she also squeezed his hand. "Mom thought you got hurt during that alien invasion, and you should've seen her trying not to go into panic mode while she was watching the news."

"Lucky you weren't here at the time." Clint said. "How's everyone doing at home?"

"Yeah, lucky coincidence I guess. Since then, I love my vacations." She chuckled. "They're fine. Mom's going on about how I'm wasting my life in New York and that I should go back home, find a job there, get married, you know, the usual."

"I love aunt Crystal. She called me two weeks ago, caught me by surprise." Clint was obviously getting back into a good mood, as he grinned. "Gave me the lecture of my life about why I'm working the whole time and never going for a visit."

"When's your next vacation?" Becky asked, leaning back again as they let go of each other's hands. "We could go together. Maybe Natasha would want to come as well." She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"For the millionth time, there's nothing between Natasha and I. We're just colleagues." Clint said, though the sparkle in his eyes upon mentioning Natasha Romanoff's name said otherwise.

"Colleagues, yeah, sure." Becky played along. "Elly's my colleague as well, but you don't see my face taking this dreamy look," she pointed at Clint, "when her name is mentioned."

Clearing his throat, Clint knew if he continued sitting here, she would start teasing him. And he was in no mood to be teased in public right now. He needed to change the subject. "Speaking of Elly, how does she know Loki?" Why was his cousin's friend involved with a person as evil as Loki? Did she know how dangerous he is? That he could kill her at any given moment? Though it didn't look like she knew, or even if she did, she didn't show it. She didn't seem to be controlled by him either, as her eyes were not the sapphire blue like his had turned into when he was being controlled. In fact he hadn't paid much attention to the color of her eyes. He was looking for blue, and since he saw none, he disregarded it.

"They're roommates." Becky said, looking around the room until she spotted Elly and waved at her. Then turned to Clint, who seemed concerned. "Now what's that face for?"

"Does she tell you about him?"

"Only that he keeps to himself. But he's a good guy. Like whenever I go over for a visit, he only comes out of his room to say hi, and then goes back and never even join us." Becky always wondered why Loki never joined them, even though Elly told her several times about how antisocial he is. But Becky felt that should be changed, because a handsome man like Loki wasn't supposed to be locked in his bedroom the whole time, and instead be out and joining them. But so far, no luck into getting him to do that. The only times she got to have any kind of conversation with him was during these kinds of events. She wondered how Elly managed to convince him to come. It might be threats, Elly was good at those.

Clint nodded as he listened to Becky. He was already planning on calling S.H.I.E.L.D. to let them know that Loki is back, but until then, he needed to watch him while they were still at the party.


End file.
